Shakes Mashaba has expressed happiness at what appears to be a hectic schedule for Bafana Bafana in the next three months.
In camp with the senior national team for the weekend’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Mauritania, Mashaba will return from the west central African country and immediately lead Bafana to another mach against Senegal.
Then there are four matches in October and two in November.
The Lions of Teranga – who play in Namibia this weekend – will provide opposition for the 21st Mandela Challenge match which will be played at Orlando Stadium next Tuesday (September 8, 7pm).
“Competition is about participation,” Mashaba said yesterday at Safa House where the governing body officially announced the 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists as the opposition for the annual fund-raising match for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. “We played back to back matches to qualify for the African Nations Cup and we prefer it this way.
“I am happy when we play matches close to one another. It gives us momentum; there’s no resting time so it keeps us on our toes.” It is for this reason that Mashaba will be retaining the same squad that he is taking to Mauritania for next week’s clash with a Senegal outfit he has promised to beat.
“CEO,” he addressed Safa chief executive officer Dennis Mumble, “We’re going to win this one. It is a good team to play against. They are one of the strong nations when it comes to football on the continent and we want revenge.”
It will be the third meeting between the two countries in the tournament that was first played as a celebration of the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s first black president back in 1994.
Back in 2002 the two teams drew 1-1 at Ellis Park before Senegal captured the trophy 4-1 via a penalty shoot-out after the sides agreed that there should be a winner in spite of the rules saying the trophy will be shared in case of a draw. Then in 2005 in Port Elizabeth, it was again the visitors who triumphed 3-2 so Mashaba is now eager to turn the tables. “There’s never been a friendly between nations. They will come here spitting fire. But we would love to win this one.”
Mumble said the choice of Senegal as opposition was precipitated by two factors.
“We obviously looked at different countries and there were even some who invited us to play them. But because Fifa say you cannot have a team travel for over five hours to these matches (the second game of a two-match Fifa week) we had to settle for African opposition. And we wanted a team that is above us in Fifa ranking so that we improve our own standing.”
Bafana’s Match Schedule
Saturday September 5 Away v Mauritania, African Cup of Nations qualifier
September 8 – Home v Senegal, Nelson Mandela Challenge
October 8 – Away – Costa Rica, Friendly
October 13 – Away – Honduras, Friendly
October 17 – Home v Angola, African Championships qualifier
October 24 – Away v Angola, African Championships qualifier
November 13 – Away v Angola, World Cup qualifier
November 17 – Home v Angola, World Cup qualifier - The Star